Seeking Legitimacy pt 2

Seeking Legitimacy pt 2

 

Let us return to the tale of Micah, the man who created his own religion and his own life fulfillment appointed his own clergy and set his life the way he wanted to live it with no condemnation, no accountability to anyone except himself.

Micah had everything he needed except for God, somehow he managed to leave that out.

Jdg 18:2  And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there. 

Jdg 18:3  When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here? 

The children of Dan were sent to spy out the land, 5 men of valor. Then drawing near to the house of Micah they hear a voice. They knew that voice it was the voice of the Levite Micah had set up to be his priest.

 Jdg 18:4  And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. 

Jdg 18:5  And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. 

Jdg 18:6  And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go. 

So these men knew he was a Levite of the priesthood of God, They asked him to inquire of God to see if their endeavor would be blessed.

He did not pray to God, he was too far gone into his apostasy, instead he tells them of his own accord to "go in peace before the Lord is your way wherein you go.

If you will notice this is quite ambiguous, he does not mention specifics as to whether or not they should go to battle merely that they should go in the way of the Lord. When I am going on a trip I do not want to hear go that way or just a little farther, or in that direction, I want specifics.

He gives them an answer that no matter what happens he can turn it to mean what he wants it to mean, after the fact, Hindsight, This guy truly is a con man. He was serving under the best from what I read, the double talk, the ambiguity, from Micah.

Jdg 18:16  And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. 

Jdg 18:17  And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. 

Jdg 18:18  And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? 

Jdg 18:19  And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? 

Jdg 18:20  And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people. 

Jdg 18:21  So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them

So the five men went back with 600 warriors to the house of Micah. They took all of his "stuff" that he had made in his religion.

The Levite was then asked to be a priest to these men  with all the same trapping but many more followers!

He took the religion of Micah abroad! He has now taken the apostasy and the corruption created by one man and is spreading it for no purpose other than his own self esteem his own prestige.

How damaging and insidious are the falsehoods? How craven the man. He was seeking legitimacy and has now convinced himself that he is a man of God.

His false idols and graven images, his dress like as the true Priests of the True God, He was now fulfilled in his work, he was now acclaimed and loved. So what does he do?  He took the blessings of Micah, the one who put him in this position, spat upon it and left when it furthered his own career. He doesn't even bother to notify Micah of the changes, he walks away no good bye not thank you.

These men also sought legitimacy in their conquests, they didn't really want God's Word, they wanted to hear what validated what they wanted to do.

Please note they put the most vulnerable, the children and the cattle and the treasure before them as they traveled expecting Micah to follow in an attempt to reclaim what was his. They knew they were hurting and stealing from this man but did it anyway for they had the might on their side.

Jdg 18:22  And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. 

Jdg 18:23  And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? 

Jdg 18:24  And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? 

Jdg 18:25  And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. 

Jdg 18:26  And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house. 

Micah's men gathered together and ran after their priest.

Micah is all kinds of distraught, all his money and time invested in his religion is being taken from him.

All of his life, invested into that religion, is now gone, and why? Because a bigger stronger force came and took it from him.

He lost everything he set up for himself, money, gold, silver, the man he had set up, the prestige, the image of a man blessed by God.

Micah is now a broken man, no images, no religion, a seriously dysfunctional family, and what does he do? Does he fight for his "gods"? no he does not. He walks away dejected, laughed at, spurned by the man he gave a position of authority, emasculated, weak.

This man Micah had a form of godliness. Something he could wave around at everyone and say look at me!  He had no heart for God, probably because he did not want to hear he was wrong, that he was not a good man, for our God tells us we are all sinners. He warns of the people to stay away from.

2 Timothy 3:4-6King James Version (KJV)

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

All of us could fall into this category at one time or another. How many times do we start to look at ourselves and say my wasnt that good which I did? or look at the response to the message or lesson I taught? viewing the numbers more than the heart conversions? Listening to the man and being proud of what was done when it was all done in the name of  God but secretly we yearn to be praised for what we did?

I personally found myself listening to music on my way to church and realized I wouldn't want them hearing this let alone God hearing it. To me it was perfectly harmless until I realized whom it might affect. 

I am sure we all have this problem, but at what point do we start worrying about how we affect others with what we say and do? At what point are we just putting godliness on like a suit coat, for church, and then taking it off and hanging it up until the next service?

The apostle Paul says:

Romans 14:13King James Version (KJV)

13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

An occasion to fall. That is a big meaning in a little saying. What can cause someone to fall?

Seeing you skip church? If it isn't important to you and they see you as someone to look up to, then it won't be important to them.

Seeing you go to a bar? Beer in the refrigerator?

What can cause a brother to fall? 

Having a form of godliness but no true understanding of the power and holiness of God, the judgment, or displeasure of God, the need for salvation for we all are sinners. 

Having a form of godliness but no true heart for God. Seeking a reward from men, wanting all to know and acknowledge how holy and righteous they are. Just like the pharisee's being whited sepulchers. They are pretty and pristine outside but inside dry dead things reside.

Mat_23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

 That is what happens when we do what we want, instead of what God would have us do.

That is what happens when we put on a show. When we fake our way through it. We cause brothers and sisters to fail, to fall.

Look around you, see who is watching you and remember you are God's representative here on this earth. Take off the fake hypocritical cloak of godliness and wrap yourself in true Godliness that comes from knowing Christ and following Him. The true humility that comes from total reliance on Him knowing that in and of ourselves we can do nothing. The modesty and humbleness when we all realize we are all sinners, there is none worthy except the blood of Christ be applied.

Be an example at all times, not just when you think you are being watched. 

The true character of a man is told/seen by what you do when no one is looking.

Micah had no true character, he lied and deceived his way through life and it caught up to him. His whole life crumbled in a matter of minutes when he could no longer bluster his way through a situation.

He had the form of godliness but not the true God, no true character, no truth at all in him.

Look to the Word, live by His Word and none can question you, or steal your fulfillment. God's way or the highway should be our motto.

Micah appointed his own priest but when that priest saw a chance to better enrich himself he ran to it smiling and happy, forgetting the ones whom he had served, he was not committed to them, he was all about himself.

Make sure that those that you tie yourself to are as committed to God as you are, or at the first sign of trouble they will run to a better situation or pull you down with their actions, their lack of belief.. If they are not true God lovers, Christ followers they will damage your ministry as nothing else from the outside can.

Having a form of godliness can be far more dangerous than actual Godliness a blessing. The world very well may hate Christ and His followers, but they hate a fraud, a fake nearly as much. They will at least respect the one while the other will be done forever once found out in their fraud.

When the day comes that they come to our house to take our 'god' as they did Micah (I have God here in lower case because of the way they think, He is not a sky fairy or imaginary being) make sure that you are set in His Word and His Way and none can steal your joy. They may persecute but they can not hurt the true Spirit of us.

Make sure your Godliness is pure not just a form of.

Are you like Micah? Wearing your godliness, waving it for all to see and possibly take from you? Wrap yourself in the Word and if you are truly His and He is truly yours no one can take that from you.